opinions on this horse/seller & keeping big heavy horses (ardennes)!

loz9

loz9

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firstly the advert:
http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/8_yrs_16_1_hh_strawberry_roan_other_west_yorkshire/97616
what are your thoughts on her? Im trying to look through the lack of confo shots & plan to email unless one of you picks up on something glaringly obvious!
We are tentatively looking for a new horse for my dad, who is almost a complete novice. We lost the horse i was teaching him to ride on at xmas & at present neither of my ridden horses are suitable to teach him on. Ideally it needs to be low maintanence, happy hacker type that will also go out there & do a bit of low level competition. My dad is 5'11 & big-ish, but i will also be riding it & im only 5'3! I have ridden 17.2hh in the past but he was tb so bit worried an ardennes may be just too big.
Also as a breed what are they like? temperament wise? Are they generally good doers? I know every horse is different, but im a sport horse person, not a heavy horse one (altho i do have a lw cob!) Aside from obviously being bigger are there any special requirements with big horses? Additional costs incured?
Sorry for all the questions & thanks in advance!!
xx
 
I cant give any advice sorry - but oh wow shes huge!! and i love her colouring! :o Id have her :o May stuggle for tack/ trasporting tho :p
(dont think my cob sized bridle or medium width close contact saddle would work!)

Good price too imo ( but im no expert)
What type of competition were you thinking about doing with it? as i imagine this may be restricted?
 
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Well there's enough of her to go around! I actually like her although she's a million miles away from anything I've ever had. I think she'd be fine for height / weight of your dad, but you'd have to ride her to see if your shorter legs will be in any way effective. You mention low level competition - does this mare jump at all? I wouldn't worry about transport if you have a IW 511 or similar, unless you are considering travelling her with something else weighty. I'd say go and see her - its got to be down to personality and ride at the end of the day, your dad may just be well suited and it would be a great match. I reckon that if she's going to be lovely then she'll be mega lovely, and if not then its a big no no. Sorry not to be more helpful, but defo go and see, you never know until you see for yourself. Good luck x
 
My lad isn't nearly the size of her (17hh but lighter weight) and I'm regularly shocked by the extra work and cost his size incurs over a smaller beast... we're talking two BIG wheelbarrows of poo a day (one from stable and one from field) half a bale of hay a day plus 8hrs grazing through the summer and a bale of hay a day in the winter (the grass is poor) and a bag of Safe and Sound every few weeks and two wormers every time he needs doing :o ...oh and made to measure tack because nothing "off the peg" fits and only particular brands of rug as most (especially the cheap and cheerfuls) just wont accomodate the huge shoulder and rump and aren't deep enough :rolleyes: :D

I wouldn't give him up for the world though :D
 
I think she looks absolutely gorgeous!

I would worry about the price as it seems too low. Really sensible, weight carriers are worth their weight in gold and she is a decent height as well which is even rarer, so if she is as describe it's a steal. Definately worth a look!
 
fumanchu said:
good grief....its horrible.


not my cup of tea at all......unless i was into driving..then again, its very draft, so maybe it would only be good at pulling logs....
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Think that was a little harsh...

I think she is really nice, and looks like a very genuine sort. Agree that she'll be fine carrying your dad, whether she responds to you as you are slightly smaller, you'll have to see. I like her a lot :D
 
if shes shod it could be up to £120 a set......bridle comes with her which is good tho they couldnt run to a noseband :-)) says ride and drive but would like to have seen more detail on what shes good at as photos all in school.

if good to hack you could do worse. Of course if she were a bargy sort you may as well give up now....she looks like she could do forestry work by just leaning against the trees....:-)

actually I quite like ardennes so good luck if you do go to look at her. But she wont be eligible for anything really showing wise (I have a Haffy so know all about not being able to find any classes to enter!)
 
Well I think she's very nice and looks an honest sort. :)

The shoes are going to be more expensive I would imagine but she could be a really good doer which would cut down the feed hopefully (maybe not in Winter though!!)
 
I would check thoroughly that she wasnt a France rescue, and if so, really check out everything from health to leading, riding etc.

The price is very very good for a weight carrying horse, at the moment they are like gold dust.

Good luck.
 
We have just sold a horse of very similar size, another French breed. Ardennes can be a bit bolshy and you will definately have a hefty feed bill for haylage or similar during winter (unless you have acres and acres of good grazing):D
 
thankyou for all your opinions so far! keep them coming!!

im currently on the fence as to how i feel about her (like her appearance, but worried about her equating to 2horses as opposed to just one extra & we already have 7!!) & as my dad works abroad month on month off i would have to do a lot of the work with her & im starting to think she may just be too big, esp with the width to her. Was originally thinking of her build but about 15.2hh.

lachlanandmarcus - not sure if she would be coloured eligible being a roan, but obviously only at minor local shows. Not really investigated properly yet as only saw the advert tonight.
 
Donkeymad said:
you will definately have a hefty feed bill for haylage or similar during winter (unless you have acres and acres of good grazing):D
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hehe, ur comment made me smile! we are very lucky to have 13acres of brilliant grazing! didnt even have to feed hay outside in the snow as they could easily dig down to the grass & left the hay we gave them! We also make our own hay & the horse my dad used to ride ate a bale per night so not too different there.
 
I think she's beautiful :D I'd never have my own heavyweight cob (I'm 5'1" LOL) but my boyfriend is currently looking to buy his own horse so he can hack out with me. So far he's only ridden my 13.2hh welsh C but she is exactly the horse he'd go for, and he wants to do the same sort of things as your dad does. If you've got the facilities, and feeding isn't a problem, I'd say go for it, she looks really nice :)
 
I rode one on Exmoor and once on top she was surprisingly narrow shouldered and quite short necked (typical of the breed I think). I liked her though and she had that marvellous stoical temperament that draft horses have. To be honest I prefer to ride something breedier with a bit more cadence, but I had to admire her enormous strength and power and she carried me over all terrain including scrambling out of streams with great care.

I think she is very cheap so would be a tiny bit suspicious that she hadn't come over on a job lot from Holland.

My own great heffalump of a horse doesn't cost me much more than my Arabs because he is a good doer but getting a saddle that fits is trickier. I notice from googling her number that she is selling a saddle seperately.

The farrier groans and grumbles when shoeing the Big Lad, I can't say I blame him as the leg is incredibly heavy!
 
You would have to try her as these draft types are hard to judge when it comes to jumping. I have seen Shires jumping 2ft/2.6in yet the Percheron at the yard struggles to get off the ground! Apart from that she is a good steady sort & competes in driven classes. So where this mare is concerned you will have to try her to see. Im not keen on the heavy draft types because they are designed to push loads, so ridden work can be difficult for them (I mean the jumping side of things rather then hacking around).
 
The main extra costs are shoes if she needs them (the big heavies need hand made shire shoes, my lad has fronts which costs £60 a hit), and forage feeding over winter. My boy was costing my £6.50 a day over the winter to feed. But he is never on any hard feed, so that is a saving.
I agree that she is VERY cheap, so if you decide to view bear that in mind and keep an eye out for a possible reason.
I think she is b-e-a-utiful, but then again I am biased as big, heavies are my 'thing'!
 
Well I am a heavy fan, I've had them in the past, but I think that she is too heavy. I saw this ad earlier in the week and thought that she is incredibly broad for her height. She probably would be ok for a novice man to ride but I think you would struggle to persuade her to move forwards. I'm not sure what kind of low level competition you were thinking of but I doubt if she's much of a jumper, while she would be difficult to manoevre round a show-ring in an equitation/dressage comp.
I bet she is a good doer. I have to say I have had Shire shoes specially made but never paid £120 (or its equivalent in days gone by) for a set in Yorkshire, although many farriers don't like shoeing the heavies, so that is more of a consideration in my view.
 
I think she's a lovely horse.
I never liked heavies untill I brought our Percheron for my wife to learn on.
He is great, a good doer & a affectionate lad.
1 bale of hay lasts him 2 nights.
As regards shoeing my farrier charges ne the same as all the other horses on the yard, £55.00 which is great.
Tack wise I brought a wintec saddle with the changable gullets, xfull bridle,
you just need to make sure they know who's boss, otherwise you could get very squashed very quickly.
Nothing else to say apart from go and see it,
 
I have an Ardennes(Trait Ardennais) mare, they DO NOT cost more to shoe(£60), they are very good doers and Fany could live on fresh air. She has a wintec xwide saddle and a wintec dressage. She is totally bombproof, is a very sweet gentle mare, who is happy to babysit any youngsters. When she is in season you barely know, she is not at all mareish. However she does have views, she likes to be asked not told. Overall she is a pleasure to own, the best tempered horse on our yard and a great favourite with everyone who meets her.

Movement wise, please do not expect a plod, she has a very active walk,trot and canter.
here is the Ardennes website with their breed standard for confo. they have a slightly different standard to other horses.
http://www.chevaldetraitardennais.be/index.php?lg=fpdb/chev_fr&page1=c-standard_de_la_race.htm

Here she is Fany Du Champ De La Petite Ville (Fany to her friends) excuse the lump on top!
winter2009-2010061.jpg


edinburghandhorses152.jpg
 
fumanchu said:
good grief....its horrible.


not my cup of tea at all......unless i was into driving..then again, its very draft, so maybe it would only be good at pulling logs....
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What a very rude thing to say. Actually I own one, plus a KWPN graded Gelderlander, they are both excellent at their jobs, which include hacking and dressage, for both! Neither of them pull logs!
 
I have two heavy horses and they do cost more in feed, shoes, bedding etc. I like the Ardennes as a breed and looked at one a few years ago at a dealers yard who was buying them abroad for meat money (many do end up on the plate) and bringing them here to sell as novice riding horses. The fact that this mare has a docked tail would suggest she was imported and was probably working at a very young age. They are used for pulling logs as was the bay in my signature. She also looks underweight and unfit and she is priced very low. She would probably suit your dad to hack on, but I am not sure about the competition bit! Ardennes can be bargey - but that can be sorted out. I personally much prefer the French Comtois as a breed, they are real all rounders and have the most fabulous temperaments and are very quiet and forgiving, but they are expensive. How about a nice Shire x TB for your dad, or a Clydesdale x. You can't beat our native heavies and when crossed with something a bit lighter, they make fabulous all rounders.
 
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Happytohack said:
I have two heavy horses and they do cost more in feed, shoes,

The fact that this mare has a docked tail would suggest she was imported and was probably working at a very young age. They are used for pulling logs as was the bay in my signature. She also looks underweight and unfit and she is priced very low. She would probably suit your dad to hack on, but I am not sure about the competition bit! Ardennes can be bargey - but that can be sorted out. QUOTE]


I think that I must be lucky re shoeing and feeding then. Fany does eat more haylage, but much less in hard feed, only gets a bit to go with her supplements. My gelding costs much more to feed and in supplements.

I agree with her probably having been imported, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she has pulled logs, Fany is an import from a breeder who breeds them to show, her sire, grand sire, and dam are all top Belgian show horses, they are used for food but are also bred to show very similarly to the Shires and Clydies over here. Check her passport, Fany's is Ardennes (Trait Ardennais) issued and has the "not for human consumption" ticked and signed.

I agree that she looks a bit underweight, she is also very cheap, which is suspicious as well. Also Fany came from West Yorkshire, she had been a brood mare in Belguim, but she was from a dealer, but it does seem a big coinsidence.

About competetion, Fany is off to her first party soon, dressage and jumping (only minimus, she is just starting )

I would go and meet her, you can't really tell from a piccy .If you do go, ask to see her passport, that will tell you a lot. Fany was aalso microchipped but not freezebranded because of showing.

Whatever you decide I wish you luck finding the right horse for your dad.
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fumanchu said:
good grief....its horrible.


not my cup of tea at all......unless i was into driving..then again, its very draft, so maybe it would only be good at pulling logs....
Click to expand...

How very sad that good manners have disappeared.

I was always taught, "Be bice or be silent."
 
As they say horses for courses, I think she is great , I think ALL horses are great and if she fits the bill for you father re her size and weight well no more need be said.
I have people asking me if I chain harrow my fields with my Irish Draughts, no I do not.
I show them and between them they have won most of the County Shows , one winning at Three Counties for the last 5 years running taking the res, once and Championship twice.I hunt them, hack them bred from them.And I love them.
I compete at British Dressage with my stallion and he has no trouble holding his own against
the other breeds, last time out in April 2010 at Patchetts he came away with 8 points not bad for a stud stallion that had already started his season.
We are all horse lovers and must try and remember how we would feel if were the owner of this mare and were reading some of the comments about it.
 
I have an Ardennes x ID. So basically he is a taller and leaner Ardennes. A strawberry roan who changes from iron grey/pink to light grey/pink to purple (and I do mean purple) depending on the season.

If you are to get an Ardennes then throw the idea of a heavy horse right out of the window. What you get is a giant Exmoor pony (illustrated fabulously by FanyDuChamp's piccies of her lovely mare)!

The Ardennes are strong and powerful, as broad as they are tall (hence why some people think they are too short for their body) but they are agile, suprisingly nippy and very honest and forgiving.

I would dispute anyone who calls them bargy. They tend to be sensitive but their toughness can lend them to not notice you are slapping them in the chest until it is pointed out to them.

You want to go for a hack? Fine. A day XC? Fine. Long distance riding against the arabs? Fine. Hunting? Fine. Logging? Fine.

True all rounders whose only limits are those placed upon them by people's perceptions.

Mine loves doing endurance and he can keep up with anyone!

My horse is barefoot. Like a pony, they tend to have very tough and hard feet.

My Arab and he eat the same. I don't feed him an extra, in fact my Arab eats more than he. They are very good doers and manage on little, although not greedy, which suprised me. Mine would live out 24/7 if he could. He's more interested in grooming all the other horses than eating.

They don't need rugs - unless clipped and then only a thin one.

All in all very low cost, low maintainence, fun little horses.

P.S. I am not a heavy horse fan. I am an Arabian fan who has been converted!

http://www.thejoyofhorses.com/oct98/ardenneshistory.htm
 
Definitely worth a look.

The comment about " presence/big personality" ( cant quite remember what the ad said! ) would make me want to check out manners in hand as well as ridden.

Make sure your farrier is happy to shoe a large horse - some hate the heavies.

Be prepared to have to search for suitable tack, and you may find electric fencing is better than post and rails! ( I speak from experience! :eek: )

Good luck and keep us posted. :)
 
I think she is lovely and have recently been looking at what we call Belgian/Netherlands Trekpaard's over here as a Husband horse. In the Netherlands they are selling for between 1000 and 1500 euro.

They can be a bit bargy so check that carefully as a horse of this size who is fully aware of its size and strength will be a nightmare.

YO has seen one of these horses lean against a stable wall and bring the whole thing down..... So the understanding was you want one I will get the railway sleepers delivered and you organise building it a stable with proper foundations lol

We saw a lovely lad who rode beautifully but when our vet went to do the vetting decided that there was no way jose he was lifting his feet up and when one of these plants forget it has to rank as one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

I like them very much and we have decided to go for a youngster so I can test my you may weigh best part of a ton but you can also lead and ride as light as a feather principle out rather than wrestling with one who has been allowed to fully realise it is a big bugger.

Best of luck
 
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